Three Men and a Lady

Dinner Laughs

2011-05-01T12:44:00.003-04:00

Dinner time is often not a relaxing time. Between 5 and 6 each night the kids hit the wall and go crazy. Dinner is then an exercise in avoiding food being thrown on the floor or rubbed into the hair. But sometimes, when the stars align and the gods look favorably on us, they enjoy dinner.

On this night, they were laughing and enjoying their own company so much, we let them have some time to themselves while we cleared the table.

The boys are not just entertaining themselves more now, they feed into their antics. Liam can now say "poopy". Finn immediately laughs, repeats it himself, and the laughing continues indefinitely.

Of course, they also play, share and pretend together. Now that Liam's almost two, they really can play together and enjoy being around each other. And that's fantastic.

Spring Garden

2011-04-27T20:42:00.003-04:00

Spring has been back in DC for a while now and many of our plants have come back from their hibernation. I tried something new this year with sowing seeds indoors and bringing them out after the threat of frost was gone. Mostly it worked, though the beans didn't make it and the new seeds I planted haven't come up.

Still, I've got peas, spinach, lettuce, sage, beets, mums and strawberries all growing well in the flower boxes. I even had flowers on the peas last weekend and now have pea pods gaining size in the warm sun.

So things grow well out there now, but I know the sun will someday soon overwhelm the plants and make them wither if I don't give 2 gallons of water a day to them. I also have a potential aphid problem:

Finn had fun squirting the bugs with soapy water to get rid of them. It worked well and most of the are gone. We probably have to give another round this weekend to completely rid ourselves of them.

Finn likes another sign of spring turning to summer, the blossom piles. He grabs them by the handful and throws them in the air. I say that he's making it rain like Flo-rida, but he corrects me and says he's making it snow!

Hide and Seek

2010-12-05T20:21:00.002-05:00

The boys are old enough to play games with each other. Sometimes it takes a little counting from me, but they can do most everything on their own. Here's fine example.

If you ever play hide and seek with Finn, always look under his bedroll in the playroom. He's there almost every time. Even Liam has figured it out.

They play games like "Metro", "Museum", and "Cooking" too. I guess they copy what they know. Finn's favorite part of museum is running the credit card and giving you a receipt. He can even sign his name to the receipt now.

These kids are getting so big so fast. Or time is just flying by...

Miami

2010-07-05T17:23:00.008-04:00

I had a AF Reserve trip down to Miami for a Sciene and Technology Conference last week. Since I would be working normal hours there, we brought the whole family down so I could see them.

Our hotel was nice, overlooking Biscayne Bay, and centrally positioned to everything we needed. Finn and Liam liked the marina and the contruction site next door which they could watch fromthe balconies.

To get established in the ways of Miami, we studied the signs posted everywhere. There were a couple funny, signs and a few informative. Here the boys study about manatee safety when boating. It was not that important since we saw no manatees nor drove any boats.

While I was at the conference, everyone else stayed at the hotel. They got to go swimming and enjoing the hot sun. They also went to Jungle Island where they saw sloths, toucans, and flamingoes.

I took a day off at the tail end of the trip too enjoy the city with the whole gang. Liam was very excited to get to the beach for digging and swimming. He's begun understanding us and nodding in affirmation of a question. I think he hates it though since all I do is ask him yes-or-no questions now, like a human Magic 8-ball.

We left on July 3rd in order to get back home for the 4th in DC. But before we left, we saw the flag flapping over the bay ready for Miami's own 4th of July.

Birthday Boy!

2010-05-15T21:16:00.003-04:00

Little Liam turned one year old a couple weeks ago. He had a great birthday and finished the day with a cupcake. I'll run the order of the day backwards in this post. It's always nice to start with the big, happy, cake-filled smile.

He ate the whole thing, not just the frosting like some kids we have.

Although he ate a separate cupcake, the main cake was beautiful. Sarah had done a lot of research into fun cake ideas and settled on a good one that looks super and, as a bonus, gave Finn a project to help with. She made a turtle shaped cake. Finn had a train cake for his first, but Liam's was more amphibian.

We also continued a tradition that lapsed a little on Finn's third birthday. We try to take a picture of the birthday boy with a picture of them on the day they were born. I'm always struck by how they don't look like themselves in the birth picture, but that's probably because they were mostly cartilage and got squeezed out a toothpaste tube.

I used to think that the two look very different, but I can't really tell which is which in the newborn pictures. Now the more I look at the pictures of Finn at one year old, the more I think they look more similar.

While Liam was napping, Finn helped make the cake. He separated the M&Ms into pile of the same color. He then helped put the candies on the shell. Most important to him, he also helped eat the leftover M&Ms once the cake was covered.

It's been a great year with two boys. Liam's grown so much and will be walking around in a month or two. The kids wrestle and play together. Finn's an awesome big brother and Liam idolizes him. I can't wait for them to be get older because they get more amazing each day, but I know I'll miss all these milestones once they're behind us. I'll just keep enjoying them as they come.

Soft play room

2010-05-12T21:15:00.004-04:00

Alexandria is a great town and has a lot of community activities and services. At the city athletic center near the high school there is a soft play room in a racquetball court. The kids love it. Here are some pictures and video of them having fun.

Finn is quite a daredevil and jumps off the slide instead of sliding off it. It's a great rainy day place to go. April showers gave plenty of need to have rainy day places to go too.

Day out at the park

2010-05-08T15:56:00.001-04:00

A favorite thing to do is to pack up a picnic and head down to the riverfront park. It's got it all: airplanes on final, boats, running, playing ball, &c. Finn got his own umbrella and rain boots to protect him from the spring showers. The umbrella also doubles as a nice shade maker for summer days.

The best activity of all is walking on the rocks and throwing sticks into the Potomac. The leaves weren't full out at the time, but the sun was as strong as summer.

The kids also got new sunglasses for the summer. You can see how tired they got from the running and eating.

However, no matter how tired or how much you ate at lunch, there is always room for ice cream on a hot day. Ice cream is a higher priority than keeping a clean face.

It sure was a fun day and a good kickoff for summer. I'm sure that there will be many more days spent just like this one. Or maybe with a family bike ride kicked in.

Craft Time

2010-05-07T15:30:00.000-04:00

Come on everyone! Put on your flight suit, grab some egg cartons, and make a lobster with one eye and a couple colorful poofs.

Sarah's been crafty. She finds all kinds of great things for Finn to make when it's too rainy or hot to play outside. I like coming home to see what is the next thing they've done.

Parental Safety Magazine: Parent of the Year Honorable Mention

2010-05-05T17:00:00.000-04:00

He's too quick to stop him from getting to the electric cord, but not to quick to grab a camera. In reality we know that he's safe and stopped this behavior. Training a kid away from playing in the fireplace or grabbing cord/jabbing outlets it tough. The forbidden toy is the most intriguing.

Knute Visited

2010-05-03T17:00:00.001-04:00

Knute flew into town a few months ago to say "hi". Finn likes catching up and chatting about FCK1. They've made it up to the first league so there's a lot to discuss. At some point Knute gave Finn a missive, so Finn retaliated with his knee. I documented the experience. Finn wants him to stop back in soon, but Knute is a little hesitant.

Happy Birthday Lee-Ham!

2010-05-02T10:56:00.003-04:00

A year ago we were at the hospital having little Liam. Now he's not so little, babbling up a storm, and able (but unwilling) to stand on his own. He's gone from a punching bag for Finn to smashing Finn with a truck. He's been to Germany and to glaciers. He's a happy boy subject to moments of vocal complaining. He's an early riser and a two-nap-a-day kind of guy.

He's a super little guy and I've a great year with him around.

My Exciting Commute Home

2010-03-06T22:00:00.006-05:00

Thursday I was about to miss my bus and was dashing through the halls of the Pentagon trying not to be late. I swiped my card to leave and as soon as I came through the doors I heard a pop and knew it was a gunshot.

I looked toward the direction of the sound and saw no one else reacting as if they heard a gunshot so I figured I was wrong. I'm sure that only was a fraction of a second, but after thinking things were okay I continued on to my bus. Then I heard a second shot followed by the shout "Oh no, you didn't!". This time when I turned I saw both Pentagon Force Protection (PFPA) agents (PFPA) moving quickly and people running.

I was right behind an Army guy who about a foot taller than I am. When I saw him running, and guessing he has been deployed to a combat zone, I knew that things were pretty serious.

I ran forward too, staying low, and came to a sliding stop behind a concrete barricade placed in the entryway to the Pentagon to prevent cars from driving up to the doors. The layout of the entryway was published in Washington Post, which I modified to show my individual path.

I've been asked why I didn't turn around and go back into the building. First, I thought I saw the PFPA guys turn around towards the doors and I feared that the shooter got past them and towards the entrance to the building. If that was the case, I would be running back at the gunman and not away if I turned back inside. Second, the guards aren't big fans of people going in through the exit in a normal situation. After some gunfire I thought that they'd think even less of it. I didn't want to be confused by the guards as the shooter and running in the out door would suggest that I was. So I went forward.

As I moved up to the concrete block, I heard about 12 more shots. There was a lot going through my head in that few seconds.

First I thought that if a guy walked up to the guards and fired two shots, he must have hit both guards and was now moving on to do whatever he wanted to do. I then ran through scenarios of what could he possibly want to do: charge into the building, suicide by cop, or rampage on all who were outside.

As the Chief of the PFPA has said, there is a layered defense and getting through it is obviously impossible. I also figured that suicide by cop was an unlikely scenario because having shot the two guards, he was making that impossible in the short term. I took the 12 additional shots as the gunman choosing the rampage option. I now know that those shots were the return fire from the PFPA, but at the time I figured he was on the loose chasing down anyone he saw moving.

I also thought about the days I spent on a shooting team. I remembered being behind the berm at the target end of the range and hearing the bullets pass overhead. I didn't hear that same sound of bullets passing nearby, but I also wondered if a bullet from a handgun, which has a slower muzzle velocity, would make the same sound as the rifles I'm accustomed to hearing.

I also knew that the shots were still being fired from the entrance side of the doors which would mean to me that the gunman wasn't chasing people around but firing from one point. I later found out he wasn't moving anywhere and that the guards were the ones firing now, but at the time I knew that meant which side of the barricade I needed to be on.

After a couple seconds the firing stopped. To me that meant either that it was done or the shooter had paused to reload. Either way I thought that getting out of there quickly was important. I jumped up and ran down the stairs (not shown in the pictures) and turned the corner towards my bus.

I know the Army guys in deployed locations like to make fun of the Air Force guys by saying that they aren't physically fit. I can now say that I am faster than at least one Army guy.

At my bus there was a young woman crouched down low. When she saw my get on the bus, she followed me aboard. She was shaking and crying. I yelled that there was a guy shooting people and the bus should leave. She could only get "they're shooting people" out through her cries. The bus driver didn't react. It was clear that Metro's training was so ingrained in him that no amount of crying, swearing, or hysteria was going to get him to leave one minute earlier than 6:37. Eventually, when everyone on the bus was ducking below the windows and encouraging him to leave, he did.

While I now know that by this point, the gunman was under PFPA control and dying of his wounds, at that moment it was as likely to me that both guards were dead and after emptying his guns he was now searching out others to continue the spree.

As the bus pulled into the HOV lanes of 395 I called home and told Sarah, who took it incredibly well. She has said she's known something like this would at the Pentagon since it is the focal point for so much delusional ranting and, to many, a symbol of conspiratorial forces, but she hadn't assumed that I'd be so close to such an event. With a calm but trembling voice, she said "Let's talk about this when you get home," clearly not wanting to know more than I was okay until she could see me. Then I called Mom. Of course since they don't have cable, she my not have known until the paper showed up in the morning, but you have to call Mom.

Once I got on the bus, I noticed that my pant leg was torn to shreds. During the power slide I had ripped the pants and my skin. The cut isn't too bad, but I will need to get replacement suit pants sometime soon.

The rest of the commute and night was very much like any other day. I wondered if it was a problem that I didn't swipe my bus pass as I got on. I determined it wasn't a big deal. When I got home, I ate, helped get the boys ready for bed, cleaned up, and went to bed myself. All very mundane. I'm glad for that.

I have a couple of take-aways to share. First, the PFPA guys are awesome. Since their uniforms are very similar to those of mall cops, I used to think as I walked by them "if something were to happen, would these guys really be ready to act?" I got my answer. When confronted they acted quickly and decisively even after being shot. I even give style points for yelling "Oh no, you didn't!" It's not quite the line used in Pulp Fiction, but it has flavor.

Another thing I considered is "Was fleeing cowardice?" I don't think so. The determination is situation dependent, but in general we all have our roles in a given situation. Heroism is performing your function at personal risk or, when no one else is available to perform a function, stepping into that role at your own risk. Doing someone else's job when they are capable, present, and trained is just getting in the way.

Most important is the family. Sarah is doing enough with me gone endless hours at work to need to also fear that I'm going to walk into the middle of a shooting. But when that happened, she once again took care of things at home no matter how chaotic things got at work. When I got home we hugged, kissed and said how nice it was I was home and then went on with the evening.

In the end nothing happened, and in retrospect, I wasn't in line of fire since those who were did their job. All it ended up being was a pair of ripped pants, a skinned knee, and a story with a nice Washington Post graphic.

Splish, Splash

2010-02-25T11:45:00.001-05:00

The boys have been sharing the tub and there have only been a handful of emergencies. Sometimes Finn even lets Liam play with a bath toy or two. Not always.

Liam gets so excited now that he'll start waving his arms at the sound of the water coming out of the spout. It's hard to get them out afterward too. The water can be cold but they'd rather stay in there than get back to dry land.

It reminds me a little of Bert and Ernie. There's even a yellow rubber duck in the tub.

Air and Space Museum

2010-02-23T21:41:00.002-05:00

Finn's been asking to go to the Air Space museum for about a week now and Sarah was able to take the kids there today. There is a new room full of experiments for kids to try. Finn was so excited that when I got home he started telling me about all of them.

After playing with the sliding air sled collider, Finn got to pilot a Cessna 150. Here you can see him in a steep left hand turn.

The kids were both well behaved all day and made taking them out for a trip more often quite doable. It sounds like they all had fun and I wish I had been there too.

No food's off the list yet

2010-02-23T16:00:00.000-05:00

I remember fondly th days when Finn would eat anyting we put in front of him. Those days have been replaced by chicken nuggets and hot dogs. Liam is still an adventurous and eagerly shovels it all down. I know it won't last forever, but I like it for now.

New owner of the kitchen cabinets

2010-02-22T16:00:00.000-05:00

After dominating the lower cabinets for over three years, Finn has passed the torch. Liam now is commander of the Tupperware and master of the plastic plates. We will now have to develop the picking-up skills. The item dispersal skill is innate.

Finn, who is prone to fits of jealousy, isn't exhibiting those traits . His toys are now way more interesting than a bunch of lids and cups. It's nice that he is OK with letting some things go to Liam. Though I'm sure that it will be a while until he gives away his toy excavator he got for his birthday.

Also, ignore that egg beater in the picture if you think it is a hazard.

Engineering Day

2010-02-21T10:20:00.000-05:00

The National Building Museum had the engineering festival for kids yesterday. We stopped in to see what it would be like. Their were so many cool exhibits by AIAA, NASA, ASCE, and many more. There was a place for kids to make paper rockets and launch them. Finn made a paper helicopter and let it fly. The agricultural and bio-science folks had a popcorn display that drew tons of attention. Here a guy explains lift through the use of a broken wind tunnel.

Finn asked a brilliant follow-up question about Reynold's number and transition from laminar to turbulent flow that left the guys speechless. That's when we moved on to the chemical engineers. They were mixing up slime for the kids. Finn got a bag of blue slime and brought it home.

It's just water, borax, and Elmer's glue, but it was Finn's favorite thing he got there. I suppose there's nothing wrong with being a chemical engineer, but everyone knows that the cool engineers are all probabilistic mechanicians.

New Hair

2010-02-20T16:14:00.004-05:00

This morning Finn mentioned how the teachers at school put shampoo in his hair. I thought that was interesting and feared lice, but Sarah was able to explain it a little better. When all the other kids go down for a nap, as the half-day kid, the teachers get Finn all to themselves. On Thursday they used that time to put mousse or gel in his hair and play dress-up.

He said he wanted to do it again today. So we went upstairs and broke out my gel and gave him big hair. He loved it and wanted to pose for a fashion shoot. Here is the result.

He has an expressive face. There's no way this would possibly become a daily exercise, but it was fun for a day. It did mean that he couldn't wear a hat outside because it would ruin his hair. The sacrifices we make for fashion.

Happy Valentine's Day

2010-02-14T18:51:00.002-05:00

Last night we went to a Valentine's Ball. We got to get all gussied-up and eat steak. We had a good time, but got home way too late and Liam was not sympathetic, still waking up at 5:45.

For breakfast Sarah made some great Valentine's pancakes. They tasted like love. And maple syrup. Which may be what love tastes like.

Happy 13th Valentine's Day! If an early wake-up after a night out is all the bad luck we get for the 13th, I'll take it.

Liam and Finn Playing together

2010-02-12T23:35:00.007-05:00

In an effort to restart my postng here and linking to Facebook, I am adding this video.

I will start blogging again and hopefully the blog should stay relatively current. Since work is getting back into the period of long hours, we won't be doing much other than mundane home activities like this:

Twins

2009-12-11T12:00:00.002-05:00

Maybe Danny Devito and Arnold were the originals, but these two are getting closer and closer. I'm very against the dual outfits, but I must admit this is pretty cute.

The unknown toddler

2009-12-10T12:00:00.001-05:00

He's made his own costume, but what is his true identity?

Boxing Liam

2009-12-09T12:00:00.000-05:00

Finn always use to like hinding in boxes and laundry baskets. Now he likes to trap his brother in them,

Fireman Liam

2009-12-08T12:00:00.000-05:00

Liam is getting to be more responsive and shows personality as opposed to being an infant. He likes to hang out down in the playroom and watch what is going on.

He's become able to play peek-a-boo. It usually involves his hat accidently droppping down over his eyes. Unfortunately, if his hat comes down over his eyes in the car he cries non-stop. Covering the eyes in the playroom is very different than it is in the car.

The arms aren't pinned down down by the seat belt, so sight comes back pretty quickly and the fun continues.

Caps Game

2009-12-07T12:00:00.000-05:00

When uncle Chuck was in town we went to a Caps game to check out Ovechkin, Semin, and the rest of the team. Finn and I arrived early on the scene and had some time to kill before the game. Finn was into the while thing and would rather stay in the seat than see the sights on the rink.

The Caps won (they rarely lose) and goods tie were shared with Chuck and Ashley.

Finn had a singe hiccup. That was when the giant buzzer would buzz. He had to cover his ears and wait until a less exciting moment to dance and cheer.

Drumming

2009-12-06T00:06:00.003-05:00

I haven't seen drumming like this since State Street!

Eating my shoe.

2009-12-04T16:57:00.001-05:00

Sometime I do it. Liam has begun copying me.

Various passtimes around the house

2009-11-26T17:00:00.000-05:00

You can't go out all day every day. So there are fun things to do around the house too. Crawling into things like forts is always good. So is pretending to nap in a plastic box.

Then there is dressing up in fancy hats and chewing on a toy.

When in doubt, hang out with your brother. Things can't be all bad if he's around.

When the house fially loses its appeal, you can get mom to take you out on your tricycle.

Halloween

2009-11-25T17:00:00.000-05:00

Halloween is a big holiday for everyone, especially kids. There is so much to do, apple picking, hay rides, dressing up, and more. The first is carving the pumpkin. To do that we have to have the pumpkins.

Check. Maybe the boys are still too young to use the knife themselves, but they can help pick patterns and supervise the carving.

Our final result covered the gamut from traditional to a witch on a broom. We weren't used to the warm weather here in Virginia so they didn't last as long as we're used to, but it was still adequately festive.

The other must-do is the costume. Liam got a recycled turtle outfit that would have been perfect if he was crawling around. I'll trade sitting in place rather than crawling down the stairs for a little cuteness at Halloween. Besides, crawling and being still look the same in a photograph.

Finn saw a pilot costume while we were at the BX in Germany. He wanted to get it but they didn't have one in his size. So when we got back to the States, we ordered on off the BX on-line.

Finn wore it around the whole DC/NOVA area on Halloween. We went to the Native American Museum and then walked to where he wold be more appropriately dress, the Air and Space Museum.

After the museum, we came back home and practiced carrying the plastic pumpkin around the house.

Once we thought that task was mastered, we went to the party in our community. He met up with the next door neighbor girl there. They had fun until there was an unplanned diaper change.

Finally the real trick-or-treating could begin. Finn didn't quite get the bucket like we hoped and carried all the candy in his hands and carried the bucket along with it. Once the haul outgrew his number of hands, he used the bucket to carry it all. He said that we'll be all ready for next year with all the training he needs.

Annapolis

2009-11-24T17:00:00.001-05:00

One weekend we decided to check out Anna Arundel's city. It was beautiful! We had hoped to see the harbor, but it happened to be the same weekend as thenational boat show which meant that the entrance fee to the harbor (and crowd) preveted people not that interested in it from going in.

The kids hung out in their stroller and ejoyed the free ride most of the day. The exception was at the big playground and across the Naval Academy. Maybe that was also a playground, depending on the frame of reference.

Finn explored the Academy grounds and said that he as abot ready for attendance there or pre-school sice they were roughly equivalent.

The running, boats, and being outside were too much for the boys and they would break out in laughter.

Sarah got into the fun of the day and posed for a picture too.

The most curious sight that day was the revolutionary soldier riding the Segway. Or is it Segue? Not sure if the vehicle has an intentional misspelling or not. I am not one to judge.

New (used) toys for the boys

2009-11-23T17:00:00.000-05:00

New to you is new enough. That's our philosophy with Liam. He's destined to a life of hand-me-downs with som minor exceptions and of course, the influence of the gradparents.

After a life limited to a couple of while in Germany, the joys of an exersaucer was unfathomable.

Maybe it's just the control of his hands he is happy about, but he seems to be fascinated with every toy around the house.

Most expressive meal ever

2009-11-22T17:00:00.000-05:00

An actor in the making, I suppose.

First Food!

2009-11-21T17:00:00.000-05:00

Once back at home, we started giving Liam solid food. He seemed excited from the beginning. Perhaps he knew what was coming since he had been trying to pull food off of our plates for a few weeks before this point.

Finn wanted to be the big brother and help out with the feeding. There wasn't much he could do but say "Liam did it" whe he'd take in a spoonful.

In the end, food was a roaring success and Liam has been a great eater, sometimes even out eating Finn at meals. Soon enough he'll even weigh as much as his big brother.

Leaving Germany

2009-11-21T08:00:00.001-05:00

The Germany adventure came to an end (quite some time ago actually, but I've been poor about the commitment to blogging). We all got together for a last picture in the house and headed up to Frankfurt where we caught our plane.

When we left Germany lst time, Finn was exactly Liam's age, so there was a degree of parallel structure we followed. Last time we went into Frankfurt and stumbled across the Bierboerse (Beer Exchange) next to the DAX. This time we stumbld on a different party that still had beer and giant sausage.

After some dancing and eating, we took one last picture and drove back to the airport hotel.

I can't quite remember, but I think the kids were good on the return trip. I suppose it doesn't matter a month later.

Finn was glad to get back and wanted to play with all the toys he'd missed while h was away.

So we're back, I'm relatively caught up at work and can start bloging again. It just wouldn't feel right if I wasn't a month behind.

Walking around

2009-09-19T17:00:00.000-04:00

We try to go for walks in the many paths all around our house. We need to avoid the horses and the mines that leave behind. On the other end of the spectrum, there are plum trees along the path that Finn likes to shake and pick up the fallen fruit.

There are saddled horses, free-roaming horses, and even carts pulled by horses. Lots of horses. But they do make plenty of photograpahy fodder.

What does a kid do after all the fun of walking strap to their father's chest? Throw-up during a bath in the sink! It's all just too much fun.

Having gotten a good feel of the area around our place, we started to venture a little further away.

Getting here and finding a house

2009-09-18T17:00:00.002-04:00

We got to the airport and saw that they changed our seat assignment to a bulkhead row. Worse than that we were in seats D, E, and G. I went to the counter to see if we could get seat E instead of G. They laughed at me. I felt shame. It turns out we got the bulkhead in business class and there was no seat F.

Far from acting like we've been there before, we broke out the camera and lived it up. I immediately felt bad for everyone else; as did they when they saw two kids sitting down next to them.

Finn ate the trail mix we brought and drank the juice (not out of the wine glass). Things were fine until the middle of the night when Finn woke up confused and unsure of what was going on. He cried for about 20 minutes causing Liam to also cry. That was a rough stretch of pacing and bouncing.

After landing, we had to find a place to live. It was quite a search, but we found a great place out in the country, backed up to a horse ranch.

Finn and Sarah both found the interior pleasant. We have two bedrooms and plenty of room for playing in the living room. The landlord lives below us and has been great to work with.

The home was figured out and ready for everyone. We're walking up Maslow's hierarchy and have checked off shelter and food.

Interlude: Cincinnati

2009-09-17T17:00:00.000-04:00

Went got back into Cincinnati and had an 8 hour layover. Justin, Eliza, and Elena were nice enough to have us over for the afternoon until our overnight flight.

It was right back into the old mode again. We went out on the back patio again and ran around the wisteria bush time and time again.

They also sat down on the bench together again. I wish I had the picture of them doing that where they were 9 months old with me so I could compare the two.

Once we got back inside, the piano became a big draw. Finn not just banged on the keys, but made something similar to music. He also ate chicken (no transition sentence needed). It was great to have one last home-cooked meal before a series of snack, airline foo, eating-out, and take-out.

After a great break, we headed back to the airport for leg two of the flight. I'm not sure when we will get back into Cincinnati, but hopefully it won't be too long.

Going to Germany: Leg 1.

2009-09-16T17:00:00.000-04:00

To get the family to Germany, we boarded a flight through Cincinnati to Frankfurt. This first leg back to Cincinnati was Liam's first flight and Finn's first since being able to communicate orally.

Finn took the opportunity to brush up on the safety features of the aircraft. He seems very interested in how the plane turns into a boat.

Liam seemed less concerned in safety and much more full of wonder at his mom. Who can possibly care about the plane when their mom is holding them.

The flight went well, especially for me when I sat in my own seat on the otherside of the aisle. I drank my coke, read my book, and took pictures of the other side of the plane. No big crying, but past performance is not necessary typical of future returns.

Last Stateside Pictures

2009-09-15T17:00:00.001-04:00

I'm blitzing forward in time to our trip to Germany, but needed to delay one stop to cute pictures of Liam and Finn. The day before we left, my work had a big picnic with lots of things for the kids too do. Finn was a little overwhelmed by everything.

He wanted to wait in line for to throw a ball at the dunk tank, but then backed out after reaching the head of the line. He's got quite and arm, but I think he thought it was too mean to end up dunking a guy.

The fire department had a strong presence at the picnic. They came up the Potomac in the fire boat, with full hose-shooting.

There was also an engine parked by the tent that Finn climbed into and pretended to drive. After getting out of the truck he got a plastic helmet from the fireman.

The whole day made Liam very dirty. After a bath he had some tummy time and looked extra cute.

With a clean set of boys, we were ready to go on our German trip. More to follow.

SUPER BIG POST!

2009-09-14T10:27:00.004-04:00

This is the blog's 500th post. Plus I haven't posted anything since we left the US, and even then I was almost a month behind things. Most importantly, this is Sarah's Birthday post!

I asked Finn if he'd like to help Sarah have a great birthday. When I mentioned cake, Finn's eyes glowed.

was hard to get the boys away from the boys away the best mom ever; she was as busy as ever, feeding one son and reading to the other one. I took an alternate approach and brought the cake and took the pictures both myself.

We've definitely had a lot going on this last year.
- Sarah broke her foot.
- I took a new job.
- Trip to St John's.
- Moved to DC.
- Sold the old house.
- Bought a new house.
- Had a baby.
- I lost both Grandmas.
- I was off at work 12 hours a day.
- Went off to Germany for 6 weeks.

Sarah's been the glue holding the family together. She plans all our trips/moves and makes sure we have everything we need. And she even picks out her own cake.

Finn was very much pleased with her choice. Happy (belated) birthday and hopefully this next year will be a little less hectic.

Table manners

2009-08-18T17:00:00.002-04:00

I am thankful that we have time to work on Finn's manners. This is not the Anne Landers approved muffin eating technique.

Pirates Ahoy!

2009-08-17T17:00:00.001-04:00

Not only are pirates rampant off the Horn of Africa, they are all over the place in Michael's crafts in Annandale, VA.

Why is it that dressing babies up in costumes is almost irresistible?

Because they do this:

This is the funniest thing I have ever seen. ever.

Daily Grind

2009-08-16T20:53:00.002-04:00

Finn's started going into day care twice a week. He has to be there promptly and comes home after lunch. Rather than being hesitant to leave, most of the time Finn is excited to go.

Here he ponders all the excitement to come. Will they go for a walk? Will they have large motor skills class? It's all so exciting.

The answer is that he'll go read a book with a girl who seems wary of Finn's approach.

Back in Cincinnati

2009-08-12T17:00:00.000-04:00

After all the work was done in Dayton, we drove the familiar path down I-75 to Cincinnati to see how the city is faring without us. Finn was most excited about getting to see Elena again. He had been asking about her every day leading up to our trip. We also hear that Elena asks where Finn is when she walks back from the rooftop deck past our old house to her home. Here was the reuniting. Finn is getting off the elevator and walking down to Elena's house.

They played together and ran around out on the deck, just like in the old days. They shared Elena's toys and split pizza and watermelon for dinner.

After the first night we had to go to a hotel. It was strange being back there and not having a home to go back to. Liam, who never knew our old place, was perfectly happy with the hotel.

The next day we were going to the Reds' game with our friends I used to coach hockey with. Elena agreed to join us to find the appropriate clothing to wear to the game. Finn loved the giant foam finger, but there wasn't room enough in the car to bring it home.

While down by the river we ran into another friend who was out on his bike. It was good to see Jason and he is one of the few people who, although there was no plan to meet up with, you weren't surprised to just stumble across him randomly in Cincinnati. It was nice to be able to catch up with him again, and see him back on his bike after a year hiatus from a broken ankle.

The walk continued along the river to the playground. Liam got pooped pretty quick from all the bouncing and fresh air.

After running and walking all morning the kids wanted a break. They wondered over to the tennis court and watched the people playing there. Finn pulled out his one phrase he uses when watching sports, "That's awful!" He picked that up in the Caps final playoff game. They weren't playing well and I had given up. Of course that's the moment that Finn remembers...

Finally it was game time. The Reds (probably) lost. I can't really remember, but I do know there was a 2 hour rain delay in the 7th inning. That's when we left.

The company was better than the game. Our friends Adam and Katy with there little boy Tyler came down. We got to discuss the joys of having a newborn since the Liam and Tyler were only born a few days apart.

It was a great trip back to Ohio, but it already feels like a place we used to live and not a place we still call home. It had the same feel as coming home from college senior year. Everything is very familiar, but not quite home anymore. When we got back to our home after a 12-hour drive, it felt like home.

Air Force Museum

2009-08-11T17:00:00.001-04:00

While we were in Dayton we went to the Air Force Museum. We, in this case, means Sarah and the boys. I showed up after my meeting one day, but there was so much left, they they went during my second day of meetings too.

Finn has progressed from the running and looking phase to be old enough to participate in the more interactive parts. That includes the walk-through cargo aircraft and the fighter cockpits you can sit in. The cockpits have this convenient warning.

After determining that Finn was not a hazard for getting stuck and declaring Finn to be "sure-footed" he jumped into this F-16 cockpit.

I like this picture because it shows Finn's I'm-really-studying-what-I'm-doing-and-trying-to-figure-it-all-out face. He eventually figured out where the throttle was and where the footrest/Multifunction Display was.

He has still talked about the Air Force museum since we've gotten back. Also, every airplane he sees now is an F-15. In fact, he claims our flight to Germany will be on an F-15. I'm glad it won't be.

Road trip!

2009-08-10T17:00:00.001-04:00

I had to go back to Dayton for work and we thought it would be a good chance to go back and see the folks there once again. So we loaded up the car and headed out West.

Liam doesn't like the car rides too much. We're not sure what it is, but it may be that he gets worried when he can't see us. He got to the point where he asked to sit up front. I was ok with it, but Finn said that he kick the back of Liam's chair, so we put the two kids next to eachother in the back seat.

We stopped for a couple donut holes on the way. Finn likes the chocolate ones the best and felt the new to share the other kinds with everyone else.

When we got there, we were able to meet up with our firends Jeff and Angela and their kids Rowan and Lydia. It was a good eveneng of catching up and getting to see their new house. The house is great and it was our first time to meet the pretty Lydia.

There will be much more on the Ohio trip in the next couple days.

Bath time is fun time!

2009-08-09T17:00:00.002-04:00

New babies tend to hate bathing. At some point it becomes fun like a trip to the pool. I hear that baths are again disliked for a time at some point in boyhood.

Liam has entered the loving baths phase. It makes it much better for everyone involved if the kid likes it and doesn't fight the process.

Someday when Finn is less wild or Liam is better positioned to defend himself, the two will take baths together. That will probably increase bathtime fun to the edge of drowning.

Arts of all sorts

2009-08-08T17:25:00.002-04:00

Finn was quite the artist for a few days. He was trying different media hoping to find his true calling.

Here, with the help of our buddy Knute, he tried street art with sidewalk chaulk. It ended up being a participation piece.

He also tried finger painting. Always one to worry about cleanliness, he disrobed, went outside, and put plastic down on the ground. His fork brush worked great and required no additonal clean-up.

After all of the experimenting, he dicided that his preferred medium is train. He always go back to them at the end of the day.

Natural History Museum Painting

2009-08-07T17:00:00.001-04:00

After the Merry-go-round, we went into the Natural History Museum. We started with all the standard sights: lions, elephants, whales, dung beetles, and of course giraffes.

But what really got his attention was the special painting room. The museum people set up an area where kids could put on a smock and then paint the things that they saw in the museum.

Finn was immediately entranced. He chose the purple paint and started filling in around the red fish the other kids made.

Meanwhile, Liam sat in the Bjorn and just watched the activity. I think he was jealous of the freedom of movement and fine motor control. He'll be there someday, but for now he's got to be content to be attached to Mom.

Merry-go-round

2009-08-06T17:00:00.000-04:00

Another stop we made while my mom was out here was to the merry-go-round on the Mall. It's a guaranteed hit but Finn had never achieved is goal of sitting on the magic dragon. Every other animal is a horse except for the dragon.

He and his grandma went to the ticket window and Finn was entrusted with holding the tickets until time to board the ride.

Grandma, using a technique learned Disney World, broke to the right as the other kids all went left. The path was wide open and they made it to the dragon first!

I'm sure we are just setting ourselves up for failure next time when we don't get to the dragon. But we'll take today's success and deal with the life-lesson in the future. And remember, always go to the right when everyone else goes left. Going out on your own can reap some great benefits.

Bottle feeding

2009-08-05T17:00:00.000-04:00

I hear that if you don't give a kid a bottle, after a while they won't take one. That would result in us never being able to leave Liam for more than a few hours at a time in his first year. And while I love that kid, I think there has to be some time when Sarah and I go out on our own. So in preparation for that, I heated up a bottle of milk and sat down to feed little Liam.

I think I saw a documentary where they nursed an alligator back to health by hand feeding it from a bottle. I'd also have to assume that it wasn't as dangerous as it sounded because the alligator's teeth wouldn't have come in yet if it was still nursing from its mother.

If some veteran can feed a baby lizard, I am sure I can feed my own son. It turns out all babies like milk. I successfully fed our boy and will be able to go out on a long date eventually.

By the way, it was a former military member who nursed the alligator and not some animal doctor.

Wolf Trap

2009-08-04T17:00:00.001-04:00

Wolf Trap is an outdoor theater where a varied list of artists perform. The whole gang, including my visiting mom, went one day to a kids show. Finn is actually old enough to watch a show now. He can stay calm all the way through so as not to make the entire show about him anymore.

Then, after the concert, there is a huge field for running around and making new friends. As per normal, Finn ran up to a "big kid" and started playing with him. He is the most social 2-year old son I've ever had.

The running is a must to tire the kids out before the drive back home. It seemed to have worked that day.

For those who don't run yet, there are nice benches so that people can bounce you and feed you. The shade keeps things a little cooler now that the summer has hit in full force.

It went very well, and Sarah wants to go back when the symphony or some other show that doesn't involve clowns and kazoos is there.

Getting bigger

2009-08-03T17:00:00.002-04:00

One of my favorite parts of parenthood is seeing the changes in the kids as they move from fetus to infant to baby to toddler...

In this picture you can see Liam is already gaining control of his noggin and looking at things near and far. His hand control isn't completely there, but he is moving his hand to rattles and toys, grabbing on from time to time.

A second kid is like reading a book when you've seen the movie based on it. We all know the main events that will happen and have a preconceived notion of how it will unfold, but all the details are different than you expect. There are even new things that you didn't see before.

The main difference is that the book is generally better than the movie. With a family, one kid isn't better than the other. In fact, you're all just characters in the same great storyline.

Future Photographer?

2009-08-02T15:26:00.003-04:00

Continuing our effort to find a vocation for Finn, we suggested that he try photography. Personally I don't care if he is Ansel Adams or a paparazzo as long as he can support himself within a year or two. In fact, I think that these days the paparazzi may make more money than legitimate photographers. Except maybe those at Glamour shots.

He was very excited by the idea when we posed it to him. You can see the wheels spinning in his head behind that wry grin.

He jumped away from the train table and tried to find a camera. His first attempt failed miserably. You can understand since everyone's first try at anything rarely works well. After some counselling, he understood that it is the camera and not the lens cap that takes the picture.

His second try and finding the camera worked out much better. He had the camera and ran over to his favorite subject, Liam. He gave some good direction to his model, telling him how to pose and when to blink.

The result was very good. Here is our youngest with some (red?) hair growing in.

It seems that he may be qualified to work at Glamour shots after all. The thought made him so giddy that Finn rolled around on the floor and nibbled on his toes. He is only two after all. Besides, I've always heard that artists are quirky.

The Paci Fairy

2009-07-31T17:00:00.001-04:00

As everyone knows, the Paci Fairy comes when you are two and a half years old. For Finn that as July Fourth. The first step was to sit down with Mom and write out a kind note to the fairy explaining the process. It seems he thinks that everyone needs to have their job explained to them so that they can do it right.

Step two, one that we didn't know existed, was to use all of your pacifiers one last time, even putting two in your mouth at once if necessary.

After their final use, you place the pacies into a bag with the note and leave is outside of your door when you go to sleep.

In the morning, after the paci fairy comes, the bag is still there but now has a fun toy in it rather than the pacies! What happened to the pacies? We may never know.

4th of July!

2009-07-30T22:31:00.004-04:00

Well, actually the Third. We went down to the River to watch the fireworks. They started about 30 minutes after we thought they would so we had plenty of time for our picnic we brought: fried chicken, pickles, potato chips, and chocolate chip cookies. There was also another kids who payed with Finn much of that time. While it was cute at the beginning, when the kids was throwing ball at Liam, we had enough of that fun.

When the fireworks began, Finn was completely engaged. The good part was that the fireworks were on the other side of the river, so the BANG was not too loud for Liam, but they were still big enough to watch.

Finn watched very intently and paid attention through the whole thing. Even Liam, who was asleep earlier woke up as well. It was such a hit, we almost fought the crowds to go down the the Mall for the Capitol Fourth. We ended up not going, but watched it on TV. We had a more exciting thing happening on the fourth itself...

Building a Train Table

2009-07-28T17:00:00.000-04:00

Finn had set his train tracks up on the floor in the playroom. The uneven carpet led to more derailments than the line safety manager deemed acceptable. To fix the situation I thought I could make a table or the trains to run on.

The first step was going to Home Depot. It is a convenient trip, just a mile or so away and thy have everything needed to build a train table. An hour later and ready to load legs, reinforcement, AstroTurf, and a 4' x 8' piece of plywood into the car. Unfortunately the plywood was bigger than our car.

Never to be daunted, I carried the board home on my back. Sure a gust of wind almost knocked me over along with my wooden sail, but I made it to our stairs. At that point I also saw that the board was too big to get up to our condo up the stairs. It was then that I decided that the table should be smaller than I originally hoped.

Finn helped measure, mark and cut the wood. Of course his helping was more sitting "over there" than being actively involved, especially when the drill or saw was out.

After the framework of the table was attached Finn helped me tack the AstroTurf in place. Since hammering is about his favorite activity this week, he hammered with extra gusto.

Once it was all done, We took our picture at the table to commemorate the event.

Finn loves the fact that the trains no longer slip off the rails and Thomas is safe. And that is what matters most of all.

Sleeping baby

2009-07-27T17:00:00.000-04:00

Modeling

2009-07-26T21:50:00.002-04:00

We thought it would be good to take pictures of Liam each month on the second. Our friend Cailin did this with her daughter and it was interesting to see her grow up in the same frame of reference. Of course the always boisterous Finn needed to steal the show.

Finn was especially proud on the Mickey Mouse band-aid on his leg. He cut himself stumbling in the grass and liked to show it off.

The main event was Liam who also decided to was a good opportunity to ham it up. They are definitely not bashful kids.

Enjoying the weather

2009-07-24T17:00:00.000-04:00

So it has been such a cool nice summer up until bout a week ago. We took the best advantage of that as possible including going out on the weekends as much as we could.

Finn seems to need to lay down in the grass on the Mall each time we're there and I feel some commensurate need to take a picture of it.

Liam also enjoys each of our jaunts out of the house too. He is very alert and looks around at the environs taking everything in. I definitely love seeing him become more of a boy and less fetal with each day.

Memé in the house!

2009-07-23T22:18:00.001-04:00

Sarah's mom came to help out and see the boys again late last month. It's amazing how fast they change ,so it is important that everyone gets as much a chance to see them at every stage as possible.

Of course, visitors always means going out in the stroller. (of coure, no visitors also means going out in the stroller, but I am desparate for a segue to these picures). Here is how darling they look in being rolled around town.

Future Lifeguard?

2009-07-22T17:00:00.002-04:00

Finn is completely comfortable in the pool this summer. He has even let go on the need to hold onto the noodle now. Perhaps this will lead to teen employment.

To be a lifeguard requires more than a knowledge of swimming with a floatation vest on. Here Finn gets instruction on how to test the water for the correct chemical balance.

In a reality, I think the lifeguards liked this as much as Finn did. One took pictures of the others showing him what they were doing. They have also mentioned this day to us again we we've been back to the pool.

Collecting things at the park

2009-07-21T17:00:00.002-04:00

Whn finn goes outside he likes to explore and collect treasures. It's a time-honored tradition of little boys everywhere. I can see one day a bullfrog coming home in a pocket.

So far the excitement surrounds flower petals, sticks, stones, and pinecones.

Anything that keeps his attention and involves running around the park is alright by us.

Pretty Fly for a White Guy

2009-07-20T22:49:00.002-04:00

Liam won't keep his hat on straight. As soon as we put it on, he twists and turns and spins it around. There are worse things I suppose. Fashion is so abhorrent these days, but I figured he'd wait a few yeas before defining his own style. I guess we were wrong.

Another Liam Play Mat Photo

2009-07-18T15:59:00.002-04:00

Playing around

2009-07-18T10:22:00.003-04:00

Liam is the play mat master. He looks at the toys and pretends to be superman.

He finds it all very entertaining and smiles, laughs, and waves his arms the whole time.

Soon he'll be able to grab the toys and use his arms, which will make the play mat even more fun.

More chores...again

2009-07-14T17:00:00.003-04:00

Finn loves the dust buster. Whenever there is a spill, Finn is there. Wherever dust collects, Finn is there.

It's not all work and no play. Finn finds time in the day to laugh between chores.

Liam's all smiles

2009-07-13T17:00:00.000-04:00

It was three months before Finn smiled. We know everything is a little slower if baby comes early, but we didn't really understand until we had a full-term guy smiling at 6 weeks.

However long it takes, it just matters that they get there. Finn and Liam are already different in sleeping, moving, crying, and even smiling. Seeing the kids so different already just highlights how two kids with the same parents, in nominaly the same conditions can be so different. Each is just as wonderful as the other.

No, it's not a bill

2009-07-12T17:00:00.000-04:00

Liam got his first junk mail. I thought it was a bill, but it was just a social security card. I guess it is a bill if you figure he'll pay into it, but likely never collect benefits.

It also proves that he is well known in this town. The letter was just addressed to Liam Noel in Alexandria. It got here just fine.

My Big Birthday

2009-07-11T17:00:00.000-04:00

I was home for my birthday this year. Unlike the Megabashes of the past, this birthday was low-key. We went into DC for some summer fun and then ended the day with a brownie.

Finn went on a carosel ride with Sarah. A fun part of any ride, whether the train or this carosel, is holding the ticket in preparation for going on the ride. Finn handed the man the tickets and picked his pony. We don't go to the horse races anymore, but he can still pick a winner.

After the ride, we stopped at a street vendor for what was billed as an Italian sausage. Any Italian would have been mad at that description. It tasted like a knockwurst, but even blander if that's possible.

On our arrival back to the house, Finn and Sarah made brownies for my Birthday cake. Some of the batter escaped Finn's mouth and made it into the pan and was baked.

Finn even helped by putting the candles into the brownies.

Quite a simple and laid back birthday in all. It was exactly what I wanted. I even got a fancy new umbrella and cuff links so I look good and dry when I get to work. Thanks Family!

Pool party

2009-07-10T17:00:00.000-04:00

The pool is a great place for everyone to go. If I am arond, I take Finn into the big pool, and if not, he plays around in the kids' pool while Sarah keeps an eye on Liam.

There are always plenty of kids to play with in the little pool. There are also two giant lockers of toys that belong to the community to use in the pool. The best are the noodles.

Since this shot, we've gotten a swin vest and Finn can swim around the big pool by himself, with close competent adult supervision.

The term "competent adult supervision" is one we've been seeing on the packages of baby stuff. I like it. It recognizes the reality that not all adults are competent to watch kids. Unfortunately the incompetent person is also likely incompetent to judge themselves as incompetent.

Speaking of competence, it is a battle to keep Liam from getting sunburned. We do our best through umbrellas, sheets, and other screens. On the plus side, ,he seems to like the pool as much as Finn does.

Basketball

2009-07-09T17:00:00.002-04:00

He may not be worthy of a Div I scholarship yet, but I'm pretty sure that he is better than I am. Even when he misses the lay-up, he gets his own rebound. The loud footsteps in gym are a little intimidating to opponants. You can tell because they all left.

King of the Playground

2009-07-08T17:00:00.000-04:00

While he may no King of the Playground, Finn is very social and likes to play with whoever is there. For example, here is a nice picture of him playing "go down the slide after me".

Another of his favorite games is "tie my shoe for me". That game has a twist since he wears Velcro shoes.

In all reality, he is very eager to share his toys and likes to join in with whatever the other kids are doing. He plays very nicely and hasn't fully attacked anyone yet. I'm sure it will happen, but it hasn't yet.

Good Morning‽

2009-07-07T17:00:00.000-04:00

Now that the budget is close to finalized, I should have a little more time and will add words to the blog posts again.

This picture was from the busy days. This is what I looked like the morning after getting home from work at 11pm. I'm glad those days are behind me and I have the required primping time to look beautiful again.

Liams First Baseball Game

2009-07-06T17:00:00.001-04:00

Finn's new train

2009-07-05T17:00:00.000-04:00

He's very happy to get a new train.

Grandpa comes to town

2009-07-04T17:00:00.000-04:00

During dad's stay here we got a ton of great pictures.

National Harbor

2009-07-03T17:00:00.000-04:00

State park train ride

2009-07-02T17:00:00.001-04:00

Ready with his ticket.

Enjoying the ride.

Picnic

2009-07-01T17:00:00.000-04:00

Playmats, not just for newborns

2009-06-30T17:00:00.002-04:00

I caught something falling out of the sky

2009-06-29T17:00:00.000-04:00

Mom and the boys

2009-06-28T17:00:00.000-04:00

Finn wouldn't cooperate, but we still got him in the picture.

Freaking me out

2009-06-28T09:49:00.002-04:00

I've finally had time to post this, but it has been driving me crazy. The night before my birthday I had a weired dream. It was so vivid I even wrote a post about it.

I never really believed in psychic powers, but this is too bizarre.

Little Playa

2009-06-27T17:00:00.000-04:00

Fountains

2009-06-26T17:00:00.000-04:00

more sleeping

2009-06-25T17:00:00.001-04:00

Double stroller

2009-06-24T17:00:00.001-04:00

Brothers gotta hug.

2009-06-23T17:00:00.002-04:00

Mom and the youngest

2009-06-22T17:00:00.003-04:00

Liam lap time

2009-06-21T17:00:00.004-04:00

New tent

2009-06-20T17:00:00.003-04:00

Finn got a new tent from Ikea. He likes to measure it with his measuring tape.

Family dinner

2009-06-19T17:00:00.003-04:00

The pool is now open

2009-06-18T17:00:00.001-04:00

It's nice since it is hot and humid everyday that it doesn't rain.

Size Comparison

2009-06-17T17:00:00.002-04:00

Compare to Finn and the Kleenex box here

Somebody spilled

2009-06-16T17:00:00.000-04:00

He's pretty good about cleaning up after himself.

At the playground

2009-06-15T17:00:00.000-04:00

My birthday

2009-06-14T21:44:00.000-04:00

I had a great birthday, which meant a day off of work and time with the family. Thanks to everyone for the good wishes.

Last night I had a weird dream last night. I dreampt that Michael Jackson euthenized Farrah Fawcett, then offed Ed McMahon for not repaying his debts and then killed himself by overdosing on prescription medicines. I wonder what that dream means?

Anyway, thanks again to everyone for the great birthday!

Bath time for everyone

2009-06-14T17:00:00.000-04:00

Liam doesn't like baths yet. Finn doesn't mind the extra noise.

Afternoon

2009-06-13T17:15:00.002-04:00

Liam catches a few more minutes of sleep.

Finn learns about dunking cookies. For example, a big cookie doesn't fit into a small milk jug.